The Holy Spirit wants to do two things with us: First, He intends to get us to a place where we trust God for everything and with everything; and second, He seeks to bring us to a place where He can trust us. The Father will always trust what He sees manifested of the Son in our lives.... the inhabitation of Jesus. It's a pleasure to trust God, knowing that His great love will catch us, even if we fall off the edge of a cliff. This great God will send us into battle against impossible odds with a seemingly ludicrous battle plan March around the enemy for seven days and then shout, He'll say, winking at you the whole time. "Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves," He says (Luke 10:3). Fortunately, you're a lamb with a Lion as friend.
Monday, October 29, 2007
God's unconventional approach to problems
Here is a clip from Drawing Close by Graham Cooke :
Sunday, October 28, 2007
"Sex God" by Rob Bell
Clips from Sex God by Rob Bell
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And when we begin to sort through all of the issues surrounding our sexuality, we quickly end up in the spiritual,
because this
is always about that...
Sex. God. They’re connected. And they can’t be separated. Where the one is, you will always find the other. This is a book about how sexuality is the “this” and spirituality is the “that”. To make sense of the one, we have to explore the other.
And that is what this book is about.
[italics in original]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sex, God.
“We reflect what God is like and who God is.
A divine spark resides in every single human being.
Everybody.
Everywhere.
Bearers of the divine image…
…deciding who’s hot and who’s not.
It’s an industry, a form of entertainment, a culture…
The problem is that “that” is actually a “she”.
A person.
A woman.
With a name, a history, with feelings.
It seems harmless until you’re that girl- and then it hurts.
It’s degrading.
It’s violating.
It does something to a person’s soul.
Jesus had much to say about what happens when a woman, an image bearer, a carrier of the divine spark, becomes a “that” [Matt 5:27-30]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scholars believe that the word sex is related to the Latin word secare, which means “to sever, to amputate, or disconnect from the whole.” This is where we get words like sect, section, dissect, bisect.
Our sexuality, then, has two dimensions. First, out sexuality is our awareness of how profoundly we’re severed and cut off and disconnected. Second, our sexuality is all of the ways we go about trying to reconnect....
For many, sexuality is simply what happens between two people involving physical pleasure. But that’s only a small percentage of what sexuality is. Our sexuality is all the ways we strive to reconnect with out world , with each other, and with God....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
...the Red Light District in Amsterdam is so sexually repressed...
There are lots of people “having sex” night and day, but that’s all it is. There’s no connection...
And so in the Red Light District there’s lots of physical interaction and no connection. There are lots of people having lots of physical sex- for some its their job- and yet it’s not a very sexual place at all...
When its just sex, then that’s all it is. It leaves the person deeply unconnected.
You can be having sex with many, and yet you’re alone. And the more sex you have, the more alone you are.
And it’s possible to be sleeping alone, and celibate, and to be very sexual. Connected with many.
It’s also possible to be married to somebody and sharing the same bed and be very disconnected. It’s possible to be married to somebody and sharing the same bed and even having sex regularly and still be profoundly disconnected....
And so they’re sleeping together, but they’re really sleeping alone.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If marriage is meant to show people what the oneness of God is like, what happens when everybody is one in the presence of God?
If marriage is a picture of something else, what would happen to marriage if we found ourselves living in the midst of that something else?
Is sex in its greatest, purest, most joyful and honest expression a glimpse of forever?
Are these brief moments of abandon and oneness and ecstasy just a couple of seconds or minutes of how things will be forever?
Is sex a picture of heaven?...
Maybe Jesus knew what was coming and knew that whatever we experience here will pale compared with what awaits everyone.
Do you long for that?
Because that's the center of Jesus' message.
An invitation.
To trust that it's true,
to trust that it's real,
to trust that God is actually going to make all things new.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And when we begin to sort through all of the issues surrounding our sexuality, we quickly end up in the spiritual,
because this
is always about that...
Sex. God. They’re connected. And they can’t be separated. Where the one is, you will always find the other. This is a book about how sexuality is the “this” and spirituality is the “that”. To make sense of the one, we have to explore the other.
And that is what this book is about.
[italics in original]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sex, God.
“We reflect what God is like and who God is.
A divine spark resides in every single human being.
Everybody.
Everywhere.
Bearers of the divine image…
…deciding who’s hot and who’s not.
It’s an industry, a form of entertainment, a culture…
The problem is that “that” is actually a “she”.
A person.
A woman.
With a name, a history, with feelings.
It seems harmless until you’re that girl- and then it hurts.
It’s degrading.
It’s violating.
It does something to a person’s soul.
Jesus had much to say about what happens when a woman, an image bearer, a carrier of the divine spark, becomes a “that” [Matt 5:27-30]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scholars believe that the word sex is related to the Latin word secare, which means “to sever, to amputate, or disconnect from the whole.” This is where we get words like sect, section, dissect, bisect.
Our sexuality, then, has two dimensions. First, out sexuality is our awareness of how profoundly we’re severed and cut off and disconnected. Second, our sexuality is all of the ways we go about trying to reconnect....
For many, sexuality is simply what happens between two people involving physical pleasure. But that’s only a small percentage of what sexuality is. Our sexuality is all the ways we strive to reconnect with out world , with each other, and with God....
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
...the Red Light District in Amsterdam is so sexually repressed...
There are lots of people “having sex” night and day, but that’s all it is. There’s no connection...
And so in the Red Light District there’s lots of physical interaction and no connection. There are lots of people having lots of physical sex- for some its their job- and yet it’s not a very sexual place at all...
When its just sex, then that’s all it is. It leaves the person deeply unconnected.
You can be having sex with many, and yet you’re alone. And the more sex you have, the more alone you are.
And it’s possible to be sleeping alone, and celibate, and to be very sexual. Connected with many.
It’s also possible to be married to somebody and sharing the same bed and be very disconnected. It’s possible to be married to somebody and sharing the same bed and even having sex regularly and still be profoundly disconnected....
And so they’re sleeping together, but they’re really sleeping alone.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If marriage is meant to show people what the oneness of God is like, what happens when everybody is one in the presence of God?
If marriage is a picture of something else, what would happen to marriage if we found ourselves living in the midst of that something else?
Is sex in its greatest, purest, most joyful and honest expression a glimpse of forever?
Are these brief moments of abandon and oneness and ecstasy just a couple of seconds or minutes of how things will be forever?
Is sex a picture of heaven?...
Maybe Jesus knew what was coming and knew that whatever we experience here will pale compared with what awaits everyone.
Do you long for that?
Because that's the center of Jesus' message.
An invitation.
To trust that it's true,
to trust that it's real,
to trust that God is actually going to make all things new.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday, October 26, 2007
Who I am in Christ
(from "He Restoreth My Soul" by Donna Fiorini)
1. I am able. (Phil. 4: 13)
2. I am abounding in grace. (II Cor. 9:8)
3. I am above and not beneath. (Deut. 28: 13)
4. I am accepted. (Eph. 1 :6)
5. I am an ambassador for Christ. (II Cor. 5:20)
6. I am anointed. (1 John 2:20)
7. I am anxious for nothing. (Phil. 4:6)
8. I am the apple of His eye. (Zech. 2:8)
9. I have authority over the devil. (Luke 9: 1)
10. I am beautiful. (Psalm 149:4)
11. I am becoming a mature person. (Eph. 4: 13)
12. I am becoming conformed to Christ. (Rom. 8:29)
13. I am a believer. (Rom.lO:9)
14. I belong to God. (John 17:9)
15. I am blessed. (Eph.l :3)
16. I am blood bought. (I Cor. 6: 19,20)
17. I am bold. (Prov. 28: 1)
18. I am a branch of the True Vine. (John 15:5)
19. I am called. (T Peter 5: 1 0)
20. I am cared for. (I Peter 5: 7)
21. I am a child of God. (John I: 12)
22. I am cherished. (Eph. 5:29)
23. I am chosen. (l Peter 2:9)
24. I am a co-heir with Christ. (Rom. 8: 17)
25. I am comforted. (Jer. 31: 13)
26. I am confident. (I John 4: 17) ,
27. I am confident of answers to prayer. (I John 5: 14, 15)]
28. I am confident He will never leave me. (Heb. 13:5,6)
29. I am a conqueror. (Rom. 8:37) ,
30. I am courageous. (l Chron. 28:20)
31. I am created in His image. (Gen. 1 :27)
32. I am crucified with Him. (Gal. 2:20)
33. I am dead to sin. (Rom. 6: 11)
34. I am a delight. (Psalm 147: 1)
35. I am delivered. (Psalm 107:6)
36. I am determined. (Phil. 4: 13)
37. I am disciplined. (Heb. 12:5-11)
38. I am empowered to obey. (Phil. 2: 13)
39. I am enlightened. (Eph. I: 18)
40. I am faithful. (Rev. 17: 14)
41. I am far from oppression. (Isaiah 54: 14)
42. I am favored. (Job 10: 12)
43. I am filled with the fruit of the Spirit. (Gal. 5:22,23) .
44. I am filled with the knowledge of His will. (Co 1. 1 :9)
45. I am filled with joy. (John 17: 13)
46. I am a finished product in progress. (Phil. 1:6)
47. I am fighting the good fight of faith. (I Tim. 6: 12)
48. I am forgiven. (Eph. 1 :7)
49. I am free. (John 8:36)
50. I am gifted; (Rom. 12:6)
51. I am God's child. (John 1: 1
52. I am granted grace in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 5:17,20)
53. I am guarded by God's peace. (Phil. 4:7)
54. I am the head, not the tail. (Deut. 28: 13)
55. I am healthy. (Deut. 7: 15 )
56. I am holy. (Eph. 1 :4)
57. I am humble. (Phil. 2:24)
58. I am the image of God. (Gen. 1 :27)
59. I am an imitator of God. (Eph. 5: 1)
60. I am indwelt by His Spirit. (Rom. 8: 11)
61. I am inseparable from His love. (Rom. 8:35)
62. I am joyful. (Phil. 4:4)
63. I lack no wisdom. (James 1 :5)
64. I am a light in a dark place. (Acts 13:47)
65. I am loved. (John 3: 16)
66. I am loyal. (Psalm 86:2)
67. I am mighty in God. (Luke 10: 19)
68. I have the mind of Christ. (I Cor. 2: 16)
69. I am a minister of reconciliation. (II Cor. 5: 18,19)
70. I am a mountain mover. (Mark 11 :22,23)
71. I am prosperous. (Psalm 1 :3)
72. I am protected. (Psalm 91: 14)
73. I am provided for. (Matt. 6:33)
74. I am reconciled to God. (Rom. 5: 10)
75. I am redeemed. (Gal. 3:13)
76. I am His representative. (Matt. 5: 16)
77. I am rich. (I Cor. 8:9)
78. I am righteous. (Eph. 4:22)
79. I am rooted and built up in Him. (Coi. 2:7)
80. I am safe. (Psalm 4:8)
81. I am satisfied. (leI'. 31: 14)
82. I am secure. (Deut. 33: 12)
83. I am sheltered. (Psalm 91: 1)
84. I am stable. (Isaiah 33:6)
85. I am standing in His grace. (Rom. 5:2)
86. I am standing firm in Christ. (II Cor. 1 :21)
87. I am strong in the Lord. (1 Cor. 1 :8)
88. I am transformed. (II Cor. 3: 18)
89. I am triumphant. (II Cor. 2: 14)
90. I am unafraid. (Is. 44:2; 51:12)
91. I have understanding. (II Tim. 2:7)
92. I am valuable. (Luke 12:24)
93. I am living in victory. (I Cor. 15:57)
94. I am a warrior. (II Cor. 10:4)
95. I am in a wealthy place. (Psalm 66: 12)
96. I am being made whole. (Mark 5:34)
97. I am wise. (Prov. 2:6)
98. I am His worshipper. (Psalm 95:6)
99. I am worthy. (Rev. 3:4)
100. I am yielded to God. (Rom. 6:13)
1. I am able. (Phil. 4: 13)
2. I am abounding in grace. (II Cor. 9:8)
3. I am above and not beneath. (Deut. 28: 13)
4. I am accepted. (Eph. 1 :6)
5. I am an ambassador for Christ. (II Cor. 5:20)
6. I am anointed. (1 John 2:20)
7. I am anxious for nothing. (Phil. 4:6)
8. I am the apple of His eye. (Zech. 2:8)
9. I have authority over the devil. (Luke 9: 1)
10. I am beautiful. (Psalm 149:4)
11. I am becoming a mature person. (Eph. 4: 13)
12. I am becoming conformed to Christ. (Rom. 8:29)
13. I am a believer. (Rom.lO:9)
14. I belong to God. (John 17:9)
15. I am blessed. (Eph.l :3)
16. I am blood bought. (I Cor. 6: 19,20)
17. I am bold. (Prov. 28: 1)
18. I am a branch of the True Vine. (John 15:5)
19. I am called. (T Peter 5: 1 0)
20. I am cared for. (I Peter 5: 7)
21. I am a child of God. (John I: 12)
22. I am cherished. (Eph. 5:29)
23. I am chosen. (l Peter 2:9)
24. I am a co-heir with Christ. (Rom. 8: 17)
25. I am comforted. (Jer. 31: 13)
26. I am confident. (I John 4: 17) ,
27. I am confident of answers to prayer. (I John 5: 14, 15)]
28. I am confident He will never leave me. (Heb. 13:5,6)
29. I am a conqueror. (Rom. 8:37) ,
30. I am courageous. (l Chron. 28:20)
31. I am created in His image. (Gen. 1 :27)
32. I am crucified with Him. (Gal. 2:20)
33. I am dead to sin. (Rom. 6: 11)
34. I am a delight. (Psalm 147: 1)
35. I am delivered. (Psalm 107:6)
36. I am determined. (Phil. 4: 13)
37. I am disciplined. (Heb. 12:5-11)
38. I am empowered to obey. (Phil. 2: 13)
39. I am enlightened. (Eph. I: 18)
40. I am faithful. (Rev. 17: 14)
41. I am far from oppression. (Isaiah 54: 14)
42. I am favored. (Job 10: 12)
43. I am filled with the fruit of the Spirit. (Gal. 5:22,23) .
44. I am filled with the knowledge of His will. (Co 1. 1 :9)
45. I am filled with joy. (John 17: 13)
46. I am a finished product in progress. (Phil. 1:6)
47. I am fighting the good fight of faith. (I Tim. 6: 12)
48. I am forgiven. (Eph. 1 :7)
49. I am free. (John 8:36)
50. I am gifted; (Rom. 12:6)
51. I am God's child. (John 1: 1
52. I am granted grace in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 5:17,20)
53. I am guarded by God's peace. (Phil. 4:7)
54. I am the head, not the tail. (Deut. 28: 13)
55. I am healthy. (Deut. 7: 15 )
56. I am holy. (Eph. 1 :4)
57. I am humble. (Phil. 2:24)
58. I am the image of God. (Gen. 1 :27)
59. I am an imitator of God. (Eph. 5: 1)
60. I am indwelt by His Spirit. (Rom. 8: 11)
61. I am inseparable from His love. (Rom. 8:35)
62. I am joyful. (Phil. 4:4)
63. I lack no wisdom. (James 1 :5)
64. I am a light in a dark place. (Acts 13:47)
65. I am loved. (John 3: 16)
66. I am loyal. (Psalm 86:2)
67. I am mighty in God. (Luke 10: 19)
68. I have the mind of Christ. (I Cor. 2: 16)
69. I am a minister of reconciliation. (II Cor. 5: 18,19)
70. I am a mountain mover. (Mark 11 :22,23)
71. I am prosperous. (Psalm 1 :3)
72. I am protected. (Psalm 91: 14)
73. I am provided for. (Matt. 6:33)
74. I am reconciled to God. (Rom. 5: 10)
75. I am redeemed. (Gal. 3:13)
76. I am His representative. (Matt. 5: 16)
77. I am rich. (I Cor. 8:9)
78. I am righteous. (Eph. 4:22)
79. I am rooted and built up in Him. (Coi. 2:7)
80. I am safe. (Psalm 4:8)
81. I am satisfied. (leI'. 31: 14)
82. I am secure. (Deut. 33: 12)
83. I am sheltered. (Psalm 91: 1)
84. I am stable. (Isaiah 33:6)
85. I am standing in His grace. (Rom. 5:2)
86. I am standing firm in Christ. (II Cor. 1 :21)
87. I am strong in the Lord. (1 Cor. 1 :8)
88. I am transformed. (II Cor. 3: 18)
89. I am triumphant. (II Cor. 2: 14)
90. I am unafraid. (Is. 44:2; 51:12)
91. I have understanding. (II Tim. 2:7)
92. I am valuable. (Luke 12:24)
93. I am living in victory. (I Cor. 15:57)
94. I am a warrior. (II Cor. 10:4)
95. I am in a wealthy place. (Psalm 66: 12)
96. I am being made whole. (Mark 5:34)
97. I am wise. (Prov. 2:6)
98. I am His worshipper. (Psalm 95:6)
99. I am worthy. (Rev. 3:4)
100. I am yielded to God. (Rom. 6:13)
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Self Evaluation
From Serenity A Companion for Twelve Step Recovery Complete with New Testament Psalms & Proverbs :
"Step 10 encourages the taking of a personal inventory, which, for recovering persons, should be a daily process. Here are five components of this ongoing inventory:
1) What are our needs? These include basic needs, such as the need for love, acceptance, and security. Do we recognize these needs? Are they being met in some reasonable fashion?
2) What are out feelings? Especially we need to allow grief feelings to surface and be expressed. We also need to watch out for deep feelings of resentment, because resentment covers anger, anger covers hurt, hurt usually covers fear, and again, the deepest fear is that our basic human needs are not being met. In relationships we fear being rejected or abandoned.
3)What counterfeit, codependent, addictive means are we using in trying to meet out needs? Are we manipulating others? Are we overcontrolling others? Are we being perfectionistic or compulsive with ourselves or others? Are we attempting to win acceptance by playing the martyr or the victim role in relationships? Are we compulsively rescuing or enabling others? All of these are trigger questions to help us assess whether we are using bogus means to meet our needs.
4)What is our relationship with out own boundaries and with the boundaries of others? It is very important to know we can set appropriate interpersonal boundaries that are neither too rigid nor too fragile. Can we keep people out as we need to? Can we allow people in as we need to? Are we capable of saying yes to other persons and are we capable of saying no as necessary? Also, do we respect the boundaries of others? Do we hear and honor the yeses and noes they give us regarding their boundaries?
5) If we are aware of violating our own boundaries or the boundaries of others, are we able to reestablish new, proper boundaries? Are we able to make amends to those who have been harmed by our violation of their boundaries?
6) Do we admit our wrongs promptly? Unless we admit them promptly, we will store these wrongs which can be rationalized into "wrongs against us." They may then become resentments which sabotage our recovery."
"Step 10 encourages the taking of a personal inventory, which, for recovering persons, should be a daily process. Here are five components of this ongoing inventory:
1) What are our needs? These include basic needs, such as the need for love, acceptance, and security. Do we recognize these needs? Are they being met in some reasonable fashion?
2) What are out feelings? Especially we need to allow grief feelings to surface and be expressed. We also need to watch out for deep feelings of resentment, because resentment covers anger, anger covers hurt, hurt usually covers fear, and again, the deepest fear is that our basic human needs are not being met. In relationships we fear being rejected or abandoned.
3)What counterfeit, codependent, addictive means are we using in trying to meet out needs? Are we manipulating others? Are we overcontrolling others? Are we being perfectionistic or compulsive with ourselves or others? Are we attempting to win acceptance by playing the martyr or the victim role in relationships? Are we compulsively rescuing or enabling others? All of these are trigger questions to help us assess whether we are using bogus means to meet our needs.
4)What is our relationship with out own boundaries and with the boundaries of others? It is very important to know we can set appropriate interpersonal boundaries that are neither too rigid nor too fragile. Can we keep people out as we need to? Can we allow people in as we need to? Are we capable of saying yes to other persons and are we capable of saying no as necessary? Also, do we respect the boundaries of others? Do we hear and honor the yeses and noes they give us regarding their boundaries?
5) If we are aware of violating our own boundaries or the boundaries of others, are we able to reestablish new, proper boundaries? Are we able to make amends to those who have been harmed by our violation of their boundaries?
6) Do we admit our wrongs promptly? Unless we admit them promptly, we will store these wrongs which can be rationalized into "wrongs against us." They may then become resentments which sabotage our recovery."
Monday, October 1, 2007
what do I really gain by continually confessing my spouse's sins ?
from Steven Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People":
quote:
If I have a problem in my marriage, what do I really gain by continually confessing my wife's sins ? By saying I am not responsible, I make myself a powerless victim; I immobilize myself in a negative situation. I also diminish my ability ro influence her- my nagging, accusing, critical attitude only makes her feel validated in her own weakness. My criticism is worse than the conduct I want to correct. My ability to positively impact the situation withers and dies.
If I really want to improve my situation, I can work on the one thing over which I have control- myself. I can stop trying to shape up my wife and work on my own weaknesses . I can focus on being a great marriage partner, a source of unconditional love and support. Hopefully, my wife will feel the power of the proactive example and respond in kind. But whether she does or doesn't, the most positive way I can influence my situation is to work on myself, on my being.
Pg 89-90
Be a light, not a judge. Be a model, not a critic. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem... Don't argue for other people's weaknesses. Don't argue for your own. When you make a mistake, admit it, correct it, and learn from it- immediately. Don't get into a blaming, accusing mode. Work on things you have control over. Work on you. On be.
Look at the weaknesses of others with compassion, not accusation. It's not what they're not doing or should be doing that's the issue. The issue is your own chosen response to the situation and what you should be doing. If you start to think the problem is "out there," stop yourself. That thought is the problem. People who exercise their embryonic freedom day after day will, little by little, expand that freedom.
"But how do you love when you don't love?" "My friend, love is a verb. Love-the feeling- is a fruit of love, the verb. So love her. Serve her. Sacrifice. Listen to her. Empathize. Appreciate. Affirm her. Are you willing to do that?"
Proactive people make love a verb. Love is something you do: the sacrifice you make, the giving of self, like a mother bringing a newborn into the world. If you want to study love, study those who sacrifice for others, even for people who offend or do not love in return. If you are a parent, look at the love you have for the children you sacrificed for. Love is a value that is actualized through loving actions. Proactive people subordinate feelings to values. Love, the feeling, can be recaptured. Pg 80
I know this idea is a dramatic paradigm shift for many people. It is so much easier to blame other people, conditioning, or conditions for our own stagnant situation. But we are responsible- "response-able"- to control our lives and to powerfully influence our circumstances by working on be, on what we are.
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